The invention relates to a sensor for measuring the position of an actuating element, which is operated electromotively via a drive connection, of an internal combustion engine, at least one position sensor being arranged in the housing of the actuating element, which position sensor detects the position at the drive connection.
Extremely high requirements are placed on sensors of this type with regard to reliability since erroneous functioning or failures may even result in risks under certain circumstances. This relates to both the sensor itself and the electrical connections between the sensor and circuits which supply the sensor with operating voltage and receive and evaluate the output signals from the sensor.
In this case, the cable connections and contact points used for this purpose may represent causes of faults, which may result in serious faults in safety-relevant systems for reasons of redundancy even in the case of a dual embodiment of the sensors and connecting elements. In addition, owing to the increasing use of electronic devices in motor vehicles, the number of cable connections is increasing continuously, and laying a large number of lines is disadvantageous for reasons of cost and weight.